PM Narendra Modi's 88th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’

Excerpts of latest episode PM Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat'.

My dear countrymen, Namaskar.

With new topics, with new inspirational examples, gathering new messages, I have come once again to express 'Mann Ki Baat' with you. Do you know about which topic I have received the maximum letters and messages this time? This subject is such that it is connected to past, present and future; all three. I am talking about the country’s new Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya. On this 14th April, the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar, the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was dedicated to the nation. It has been opened for the citizens of the country. One such listener is Shrimaan Sarthak ji; Sarthak ji lives in Gurugram and has visited the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya at the very first opportunity. The message that Sarthak ji has written to me on Namo App is very interesting. He has written that for years he has been watching news channels, reading newspapers, along with being connected to social media, so he used to think that his general knowledge was good enough… but, when he visited the PM Museum, he was very surprised, he realized that he did not know much about his country and those who led the country. He has written about certain facets of the PM Museum which heightened his curiosity such as the spinning wheel of Lal Bahadur Shastri, gifted to him by his in-laws, that made Sarthak ji happy. He also saw Shastri ji's passbook noticing how little savings he had. Sarthak ji has written that he did not even know that Morarji Bhai Desai was Deputy Collector in Gujarat before joining the freedom struggle.

He had a long career in the administrative service. On Chaudhary Charan Singh ji, Sarthak ji writes that he was unaware of Chaudhary Charan Singh ji’s great contribution in the field of zamindari abolition. Not just that, he further writes he saw that Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao ji took a very keen interest in the work of Land Reform. Sarthak ji also came to know only after coming to this museum that Chandrashekhar ji had undertaken the historic Bharat Yatra, walking more than 4 thousand kilometers. In the museum, when he saw the items that Atalji used, listened to his speeches, he was filled with pride. Sarthak ji also mentioned that this museum also provides very interesting information about Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Dr. Ambedkar, Jai Prakash Narayan and our Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Friends, what can be a better time to remember the contribution of the Prime Ministers of the country than the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav? It is a matter of pride for the country that the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is taking the form of a mass movement. People's interest in history is increasing a lot and in such a situation the PM Museum is also becoming a centre of attraction for the youth, connecting them with the precious heritage of the country.

By the way, friends, when so much is being discussed with you about the museum, I felt that I should also ask you some questions. Let's see what your general knowledge says… how much information you have! Are you ready, my young friends, are you readywith your paper and pen? What I am going to ask you right now, you can share the answers on NaMo App or social media with #MuseumQuiz… and do share. I urge you to answer all these questions. This will enhance interest in the museum among people all over the country. Do you know in which city of the country there is a famous Rail Museum where people have been getting a chance to see the heritage of Indian Railways for the last 45 years? Let me give you another clue. You can also find here,from the Fairy Queen, the Saloon of Prince of Wales to the Fireless Steam Locomotive. Do you know which museum is there in Mumbai, where we get to see the evolution of currency in a very interesting way? Here coins of the sixth century BC are present; on the other hand, e-Money is also present. The third question -  'Virasat-e-Khalsa' is related to this museum. Do you know, in which city of Punjab is this museum located? All of you must be enjoying a lot in kite flying; the next question is related to this. Where is the country's one and only Kite Museum? Let me give you a clue, the biggest kite displayed here is 22 by 16 feet in size. Did something come to mind –No?Let me tell you one more thing here - the city in which it is located has a special connection with Bapu. Who does not have the hobby of collecting postage stamps in childhood! But, do you know where the National Museum related to postage stamps is in India? I ask you one more question. Which museum is housed in a building named Gulshan Mahal? The clue for you is that in this museum you can also become the director of a film, you can also see the nuances of camera, editing. Ok,do you know of any museum that celebrates India's textile heritage? This museum has miniature paintings, Jaina manuscripts, sculptures -…many more. It is also known for its unique display.

Friends, in this era of technology, it is very easy for you to find answers to these. I asked these questions so that the curiosity in our new generation rises… they read more about them;go and visit them. Now, because of the importance of museums, many people themselves are coming forward and donating a lot to the museums. Many people are donating their old collections, as well as historical artefacts, to museums. When you do this, in a way, you share a cultural treasure with the entire society. In India too, people are now coming forward for this. I also appreciate all such individual efforts. Today, in the changing times and due to the covid protocols, emphasis is being placed on adopting new methods in museums. The focus has also increased on digitization in museums. You must be aware that on the 18^th of MayInternational Museum Day will be celebrated all over the world. In view of this, I have an idea for my young friends. Why not visit a local museum with your circle of friends during the upcoming holidays. Do share your experience with #MuseumMemories. By doing so you will also awaken curiosity about museums in the minds of others.

My dear countrymen, you must be taking many resolves in your life, and be you must be working hard to fulfill them. Friends, recently, I came to know about such a resolve, which was really different, very unique. That's why I thought that I must share it with the listeners of 'Mann Ki Baat'.

Friends, can you imagine that someone could come out of one’s house with a resolve that one would roam the whole city for the whole day without doing any money transaction in cash – isn’t this an interesting resolve. Two daughters of Delhi, Sagarika and Preksha, experimented with Cashless Day Outlike this. Wherever Sagarika and Preksha went in Delhi, they got the facility of digital payment. Because of the UPI QR code, they did not have to withdraw cash. Even at most of the street food and roadside vendors they got the facility of online transaction.

Friends, one may  think that it is Delhi, a metro city, it is easy to have all this here. But now it is not the case that this spread of UPI is limited only to big cities like Delhi. I have also received a message from Anandita Tripathi from Ghaziabad. Anandita had gone to the North East with her husband last week. She narrated me the experience of her journey from Assam to Meghalaya and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. You will also be pleasantly surprised to know that in this journey of spanning several days, they did not need to withdraw cash even in remote areas. In places where there was no good internet facility till a few years ago, now there is also the facility of payment through UPI. Looking at the experiences of Sagarika, Preksha and Anandita, I would also urge you to try the experiment of Cashless Day Out, definitely do it.

Friends, in the last few years, BHIM UPI has rapidly become a part of our economy and habits. Now, even in small towns and in most villages people are transacting through UPI itself. A culture is also evolving in the country throughS Digital Economy. In the small street shops digital paymenthas made it easy to serve more and more customers. Now they don't even have a problem of loose change. You must also feel the convenience of UPI in everyday life. Wherever you go… carrying cash, going to the bank, finding an ATM… the hassle is now over. All payments are made from mobile itself, but, have you ever thought that how big a digital economy has been created in the country due to these small online payments of yours. At present, transactions worth about 20 thousand crore rupees are taking place in our country every day. Last March, UPI transactions reached around Rs 10 lakh crores. Due to this, convenience is also increasing in the country and an atmosphere of honesty is also being created. Now many new start-ups related to Fin-tech are also coming up in the country. I would like you to share any experiences related to this power of digital payment and start-up ecosystem. Your experiences can become an inspiration to many other countrymen.

My dear countrymen, how the power of technology is changing the lives of ordinary people, we are constantly seeing this around us. Technology has done another great job. It has served to bring the benefit of the extraordinary abilities of the Divyang friends  to the country and the world. At the Tokyo Paralympics we have seen what our Divyang brothers and sisters can achieve. Just like in sports, in arts, academics and many other fields, Divyang friends are doing wonders, but when these friends get the power of technology, they achieve even greater heights. That is why, the country is constantly making efforts to make the resources and infrastructure accessible to the differently-abled. There are also many start-ups and organizations in the country which are doing inspirational work in this direction. There is one such organization – Voice of Specially Abled People, this organization is promoting new opportunities in the field of assistive technology. An innovative beginning has also been made to take the work of Divyang artists to the world. Voice of Specially Abled People has prepared a digital art gallery of paintings of these artists. How Divyang friends are rich in extraordinary talents and what extraordinary abilities they have - this art gallery is an example of that. What are the challenges in the life of Divyang friends, how far can they reach after overcoming them?You can feel many such facets in these paintings. If you also know a Divyang friend, know their talent, then with the help of digital technology, you can bring them to the fore in front of the world. Divyang friends must also join such endeavours.

My dear countrymen, summer heat is increasing very fast in most parts of the country. This rising heat equally increases our responsibility to save water. It is possible that there may be plenty of water available where you are now. But, you also have to always remember the crores of people who live in water-stressed areas, for whom every drop of water is like elixir.

Friends, at this time in the 75th year of independence, in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, water conservation is one of the resolves with which the country is moving forward. During the Amrit Mahotsav, 75 Amrit Sarovars will be built in every district of the country. You can imagine how big the campaign is. The day is not far when there will be 75 Amrit Sarovars in your own city. I would like all of you, and especially the youth, to know about this campaign and also bear responsibility for it. If there is any history related to freedom struggle in your area, if there is a memory of a freedom fighter, you can also connect it with Amrit Sarovar. By the way, I like to learnthat after taking the resolve of Amrit Sarovar, work has started on it at many places at a rapid pace. I have come to know about Gram Panchayat Patwai of Rampur in UP. There was a pond on the land of the Gram Sabha, but it was full of filth and heaps of garbage. With a lot of hard work, with the help of local people, with the help of local school children, that dirty pond has been transformed in the last few weeks. Now, many arrangements have been made on the banks of that lake like retaining wall, boundary wall, food court, fountains and lighting. I congratulate the Patwai Gram Panchayat of Rampur, the people of the village, the children there for this effort.

Friends, the availability of water and the scarcity of water, these determine the progress and speed of any country. You must have also noticed that in 'Mann Ki Baat', I do talk about water conservation again and again along with topics like cleanliness. It is clearly stated in our scriptures –

Paniyam paramam loke, jeevaanaam jeevanam samritam ||

That is, in the world, water is the basis of life of every living being and water is also the biggest resource, that is why our ancestors gave so much emphasis on water conservation. From Vedas to Puranas, to save water everywhere, to build ponds, lakes etc., has been termed as the social and spiritual duty of a person. In Valmiki Ramayana, special emphasis has been laid on water conservation, on connecting water sources. Similarly, students of history would know, how much engineering was developed in India regarding water even during the Indus-Saraswati and Harappan civilizations. In ancient times, there was an interconnected system of water sources in many cities and this was the time, when the population was not that much, there was no shortage of natural resources, there was a kind of abundance, yet, about water conservation the awareness was very high then,. But, today the situation is reverse. I urge all of you to know about such old ponds, wells and lakes in your area. Due to the Amrit Sarovar Abhiyan, along with water conservation, a distinct identity of your area will also develop. With this, local tourist places will also be developed in cities, localities, people will also get a place to walk around.

Friends, every effort related to water is related to our tomorrow. It is the responsibility of the whole society. For this, different societies have madevarious efforts continuously for centuries. For example, 'Maldhari', a tribe of "Rann of Kutch" uses a method called "Vridas" for water conservation. Under this, small wells are built and trees and plants are planted nearby to protect it. Similarly, the Bhil tribe of Madhya Pradesh used their historical tradition "Halma" for water conservation. Under this tradition, the people of this tribe gather at one place to find a solution to the problems related to water. Due to the suggestions received from the Halma tradition, the water crisis in this area has reduced and the ground water level is also increasing.

Friends, if the same sense of duty comes in everyone's mind, the biggest of challenges related to water crisis can be solved. Come, let us take a pledge to conserve water and save life in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav of freedom. We will save water drop by drop and save every single life.

My dear countrymen, you must have seen that a few days ago I held 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' with my young friends and students. During this discussion some students said that they are afraid of maths in the exam. A similar thought was also sent to me by many students in their messages. At that very moment I had decided that I would definitely discuss mathematics this time in 'Mann Ki Baat'. Friends, Mathematics is such a subject about which we Indians should be most comfortable. After all, the people of India have given the most research and contribution to the whole world regarding mathematics. You must have heard a lot about zero, that is, the discovery of zero and its importance. Often you will also hear that if zero was not discovered, then perhaps we would not have been able to see so much scientific progress in the world. From Calculus to Computers - all these scientific inventions are based on Zero. Mathematicians and scholars of India have even written that –

यत किंचित वस्तु तत सर्वं, गणितेन बिना नहि !

That is, whatever is there in this entire universe, everything is based on mathematics. If you remember the study of science, you will understand its meaning. Every principle of science is expressed through a mathematical formula. Be it Newton's laws, Einstein's famous equation, all the science related to the universe is mathematics. Now scientists also discuss Theory of Everything, that is, a single formula that can express everything in the universe. Our sages have always imagined such an expansion of scientific understanding with the help of mathematics. If we invented zero, we have also expressed infinityas well. In common parlance, when we talk about numbers and numbers, we speak and think till million, billion and trillion, but, in Vedas and in Indian mathematics, this calculation goes much further. We have a very old verse here -

एकं दशं शतं चैव, सहस्रम् अयुतं तथा |

लक्षं च नियुतं चैव, कोटि: अर्बुदम् एव च ||

वृन्दं खर्वो निखर्व: च, शंख: पद्म: च सागर: |

अन्त्यं मध्यं परार्ध: च, दश वृद्ध्या यथा क्रमम् ||

The order of numbers is given in this verse. such as -

One, ten, hundred, thousand and ayut!

Lakh, Niyut and Koti i.e. crores.

Similarly this number goes up to the shankh, padma and saagar. One saagar means 10 to the power of 57. Not only this, there are numbers like Ogh and Mahog even after this. There is a Mahogha –10 to the power of 62, that is, 62 zeros next to one. Even if we imagine such a large number in the mind, it is difficult, but, in Indian mathematics, they have been used for thousands of years. Just a few days ago I met the CEO of Intel company. He had given me a painting, in which one such Indian method of calculation or measurement was depicted through Vamana avatar. With reference to the name Intel, the computer would have come automatically to your mind. You must have also heard about the binary system in the language of computer, butDo you know that in our country there were sages like Acharya Pingala, who postulated the binary. Similarly, from mathematicians Aryabhatta to  Ramanujan, there has been work on many principles of mathematics here.

Friends, Mathematics has never been a difficult subject for us Indians, a big reason for this is our Vedic Mathematics. The credit of Vedic mathematics in modern times goes to Shri Bharati Krishna Tirtha Ji Maharaj. He revived the ancient methods of calculation and named it Vedic Mathematics. The most important thing about Vedic Mathematics was that through it you can do even the most difficult calculations in your mind in the blink of an eye. You must have seen videos of many such youths learning and teaching Vedic maths on social media these days.

Friends, today in 'Mann Ki Baat' a similar friend who teaches Vedic Mathematics is also joining us. This is Gaurav Tekriwal ji of Kolkata. And for the last two-and-a-half decades, he has been taking this movement of Vedic mathematics forward with great dedication. Come, let's talk to him.

Modi ji - Gaurav ji Namaste!

Gaurav –Namaste sir!

Modi ji - I have heard that you are very interested in Vedic Maths; you do a lot. So, first I would like to know something about you and later, how you are interested in this subject, do tell me?

Gaurav - Sir, when I was applying for business school twenty years ago, it used to have a competitive exam called CAT. There were many maths questions in it, which had to be done in little time. So, my mother brought me a book called Vedic Mathematics. Swami Shri Bharatikrishna Tirtha Ji Maharaj had written that book. And in that he gave 16 sutras. In which mathematics used to be very simple and very fast. When I read that, I was very inspired and then my interest was awakened in Mathematics. I understood that this subject, which is a gift of India, which is our heritage, can be taken to every corner of the world. Since then I made it a mission to take Vedic Mathematics to every nook and corner of the world. Because the fear of mathematics haunts everyone. And what can be simpler than Vedic Mathematics!

Modi ji - Gaurav ji for how many years have you been working in this?

Gaurav –It has been almost 20 years sir. I am still at it.

Modi ji - And what do you do for awareness, what experiments do you use, how do you reach people?

Gaurav - We go to schools, we give online education. The name of our organization is Vedic Maths Forum India. Under that organization, we teach Vedic Maths 24 hours a day through the internet, Sir!

Modi ji - Gaurav ji, you know, I also like to interact with children constantly and I keep looking for opportunities. And with exam warrior, I have institutionalized it in a way and I have also experienced that when I talk to children, they run away as soon as they hear the name of maths. And so, my effort is that this fear which is without any reason should be removed, this fear should be removed withbasic techniques of mathematics which come from our traditions and which are not new to India.Perhaps, among the ancient traditions in the world India has a tradition of mathematics. Soif the exam warrior’s fear has to be dispelled, what will you advise them?

Gaurav - Sir, this is most useful for children, because, the fear of exams which has become a fobia in every home. Children take tuition for the exam, parents are worried. Teachers also get upset. So all this gets dissipates with Vedic maths. Vedic maths is fifteen hundred percent faster than this simple maths and it gives a lot of confidence in the children and the mind also runs faster. As such, we have also introduced Yoga with Vedic Mathematics. So that if the children want, they can calculate even with their eyes closed by the method of Vedic mathematics.

Modi ji - Even in the tradition of dhyan, doing mathematics in this way is also a primary course of meditation.

Gaurav - Right Sir!

Modi ji - Well Gaurav ji, it is very nice that you and I have taken up this work in mission mode and especially your mother took you on this path as a good guru. And today you are taking millions of children on that path. My best wishes to you

Gaurav - Thank you sir! I thank you sir! That you gave importance to Vedic maths and chose me sir! So we are very thankful.

Modi ji - Thank you very much. Namaskar.

Gaurav - Namaste sir.

Friends, Gaurav ji has very well explained how Vedic maths can transform mathematicsfrom complex to fun. Not only this, you can also solve big scientific problems with Vedic mathematics. I would like all parents to teach Vedic maths to their children. With this, their confidence will not only increase; the analytical power of their brain will also increase and yes, whatever little fear some children have about Mathematics, that phobia will also end completely.

My dear countrymen, today in 'Mann Ki Baat', many informative topics from museum to maths were discussed. All these topics become part of 'Mann Ki Baat' only because of your suggestions. Similarly, keep sending me your suggestions in future also through Namo App and MyGov. In the coming days, we will have the festival of Eid in the country. Akshaya Tritiya and the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Parashuram will also be celebrated on 3rd May. A few days later, the festival of Vaishakh Budh Purnima will also come. All these festivals are festivals of restraint, purity, charity and harmony. Advance greetings to all of you on the occasion of these festivals. Celebrate these festivals with great gaiety and harmony. In the midst of all this, you also have to be alert of Corona. Wearing a mask, washing hands at regular intervals, whatever are the necessary measures for prevention, keep following them. Next time in 'Mann Ki Baat' we will meet again and discuss some more new topics sent by you - till then let's bid goodbye.

Thank you very much!